Sat, Apr 11, 2015

Ned Rifle

Exclusive Theatrical Premiere!

Friday, April 10 – Thursday, April 16

(2014) dir Hal Hartley w/Liam Aiken, Aubrey Plaza, Parker Posey, Thomas Jay Ryan, James Urbaniak, Martin Donovan, Karen Sillas, Bill Sage [85 min; DCP]
You all thought Richard Linklater was so cool for making a movie about one family over 12 years with the same cast, but you should take a second look at Hal Hartley… He’s been telling the story of a single family for almost 20 years – over the course of three movies – and the members of this family are monumentally more dysfunctional than those boring losers in Boyhood.

In NED RIFLE the conclusion of the trilogy that began with HENRY FOOL, the titular Ned (Aiken), the son of disgraced would-be-genius-novelist Henry Fool (Ryan) and imprisoned alleged-terrorist Fay Grim (Posey), emerges from witness protection with one aim in mind – to kill his father for ruining the life of his mother. His plans, however, are soon derailed – or at least detoured – by the presence of the beguiling Susan (Plaza), a young woman obsessed with Ned’s father for her own reasons.

For fans of Hal Hartley, NED RIFLE is a real treat – with a veritable who’s-who of Hartley faves including virtually every great character actor that has ever appeared in his films. The addition of the uber-dry Aubrey Plaza to the ensemble is a match made in cinematic heaven. With its bizarrely convoluted yet hilarious script, NED RIFLE reveals different pleasures for those just joining the Hartley bandwagon.

“Hartley’s direction is razor sharp, the performances are classically dry, and the script is a master class in precise dialogue.” – Toronto Int’l Film Festival

Critics’ Pick! “Hartley’s humor and intellectual musings are, as always, fully present, but by anchoring them to a genuinely compelling story of familial retribution, he’s made his best film in years.” – Zachary Wigon, The Village Voice

“Hartley has made a movie that will seem awfully familiar to his fans, but which also looks, sounds, and moves like nothing else on the current American indie landscape.” – AV Club